Summer love lesson: 3 Easy ways to make your new love last

Jessica Padykula is a freelance writer and editor in Toronto, Canada covering a wide range of topics for several online lifestyle publications. She is a regular contributor for SheKnows, covering travel, style, relationships, health and...

New love lessons

Even new relationships need some extra ammunition to thrive, especially ones that start in the summer (fling territory). Luckily, we have just the formula to make your new love last.

Read on for our top three strategies for keeping things strong between you and your new man.

Stay curious about each other

Once you’ve been dating for a while, it can be easy to think you know everything there is to know about the other person, but it’s crucial to continue discovering new things about each other. Having a continuous interest about the other person and what makes them tick is one of the most effective ways to keep your relationship interesting and moving forward.

Being curious rather than assuming what the other person is feeling or thinking is very important. How? Ask open-ended questions that allow your guy to open up about his day, his goals, his likes and dislikes, his past and whatever else makes him who he is.

Give each other space

While it’s tempting to spend every second wrapped in a loved-up cocoon of new relationship bliss, make sure you balance out your interest in each other with individual interests. When you’re first in love, you want to do everything the other person wants to do, but it’s also important to allow for solo space amid the love fest.

Alone time gives you time to process what’s happening and keeps you grounded in your own life. Carve out some time just for you by hitting the gym, going out with friends and continuing to do the activities you love to do, even if your new guy doesn’t share your interest.

Avoid rigid routines

One of the biggest relationship killers is the dreaded rut -- something you don’t have to worry about in the beginning but that can cause chaos further down the road if you let it. Routines are frighteningly easy to settle into and harder than you think to climb out of, so the best thing you can do for your new relationship is to regularly try new things together.

Keep it as varied as possible -- as in not going to the same takeout place every Friday for dinner. Sex, too, can fall into a rut. While not immediately, you still want to do what you can to avoid bedroom boredom. After the year mark, you need to start thinking about how to keep sex more interesting.